I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental products and, more particularly, to a dental composite.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In modern day dentistry, following a cavity preparation, the use of dental composites to fill the cavity preparation in lieu of amalgam has enjoyed widespread acceptance. One reason for this widespread acceptance is that the composite, because it is light colored, is cosmetically more pleasing than amalgam or gold fillings.
In filling a cavity preparation with a dental composite, the cavity preparation is first sterilized and the dental composite in an uncured state is applied and driven into the cavity preparation. In an uncured state, the dental composite typically has a paste-like consistency.
After the dental composite has filled the cavity preparation, the dental composite is light cured, which causes the dental composite to harden and adhere to the tooth. After the dental composite has cured, the dental composite is polished or otherwise shaped to conform to the tooth.
The previously known dental composites, however, have suffered from a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the composite material, due to its paste-like consistency, tends to squish out of the cavity preparation when the dentist drives the composite into the cavity preparation. This, in turn, requires that the dentist apply additional composite and again refill the cavity preparation.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known dental composites is that the dental composite shrinks somewhat during curing. This shrinkage may result in an unsatisfactory bond between the tooth and the dental composite and/or unsatisfactory appearance.
Lastly, the previously known dental composites require relatively lengthy light curing which adds to the overall length of the dental procedure. This in turn results in decreased productivity for the dentist.
The present invention provides a dental composite which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known dental composites.
In brief, the dental composite of the present invention is formed from a light curable material which contains filler particles suspended within the material. Typically, the light curable material has a paste-like consistency and a particle size in the range of 1 to 15 microns. Conversely, the filler particles are preferably in a range of 5 microns to 4 millimeters in size.
The filler particles are formed from the same light curable material as the composite that has been cured and then ground in order to obtain the desired particle size and optionally, contain filler particles of different material. Consequently, when the filler particles are intermixed with the paste, applied to a cavity preparation and then cured, the resulting cured composite enjoys a homogenous structure.
The present invention, by utilizing filler particles formed of the same material as the uncured dental composite material, effectively increases the viscosity of the dental composite and thus enjoys improved drivability during the filling of a cavity preparation.
A still further advantage of the dental composite of the present invention is that the filler particles will not further shrink during a light cure of the dental composite. As such, the dental composite of the uncured material with the suspended particles exhibits less shrinkage during cure than the previously known dental composites.
A still further advantage of the dental composite of the present invention is that the dental composite will be cured in less time than the previously known dental composites. This faster cure of the present invention is achieved since the filler particles have already been cured prior to the application of the dental composite to the cavity preparation thereby resulting in reduced curing time.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
A method for making the dental composite is also disclosed.